It is often desirable to apply one or more colors to a surface, for example an architectural surface such as an interior or exterior wall or the like, for aesthetic benefits and/or functional benefits such as water resistance. Color is typically provided by conventional painting with water-based or oil-based wet paints, application of wallpaper or the like. The laborious processes involved with wet painting and wall papering are well known. Typically, it is necessary to protect surrounding areas from collateral mess during such activities by taping adjacent surfaces where the color is not desired, arranging drop clothes to protect floors and furniture, and the like. Extreme care must also be exercised to avoid dripping of paint, wallpaper paste or primer, or other wet-applied materials. Many wet paint and wall paper products are also recommended for use together with one or more primers or bases to assist in coverage and/or durability of the desired color, thereby increasing the time and labor for producing a desired color effect on such a surface.
Additionally, it is typically necessary to saturate brushes, rollers or other applicators with paint, primer, paste or the like in order to apply the material to a surface. As a result, a significant amount of material is wasted, as it never reaches the intended surface, but remains on the applicator. Cleaning of brushes, sprayers, rollers and other tools used in application of wet paint and wall paper once painting or wall papering is completed, or at least suspended for a period of time, such as overnight, is also time consuming.
Many paints adapted for application to surfaces such as architectural surfaces include one or more volatile organic compounds. Such paints release noxious fumes during and after application, thereby requiring ventilation during and after application, particularly in closed environments such as buildings.
In structural surface covering operations that incorporate multiple strips or sheets of material, a seam is formed between each juxtaposed pair of strips. Seams provide imperfections that detract from the aesthetic appearance, or some other property, of the facade presented by the strips. Consequently, seam concealment is a significant concern in such structural surface covering operations. For example, the seams between adjacent dry wall panels are covered with drywall tape. With regard to covering operations that apply color to a surface, wallpaper is applied to interior walls by pasting multiple strips adjacent to each other. Wallpaper may be systematically applied to an interior wall by aligning a vertical edge of an initial strip with a plumb line drawn on the wall. At least one of the opposite vertical edges of the initial strip operates as a verticality guide for the application of subsequent strips of wallpaper. Adjacent ones of the strips are positioned in abutment so as to minimize the presence of gaps between juxtaposed margins or the occurrence of overlap. Typically, however, the vertical seams between adjacent pairs of strips are visibly perceptible. The visual presence of the vertical seams detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the color applied to the surface by the wallpaper.
Thus, in spite of the obvious aesthetic and/or functional benefits provided by applying color on a surface by conventional techniques such as wet painting or wall papering, the efforts required in connection with such procedures are inconvenient and time consuming and, moreover, the color applied to the surface may incorporate one or more seams that detract from the manifestation of the color effect to an observer.